Schumer says "My vote will be no" on Gorsuch

Thursday, March 23, 2017 - 01:04

Democratic Senate leader Chuck Schumer says Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch should have to get 60 votes to secure his confirmation and if he fails in that regard it'll be time to ''change the nominee.'' Rough Cut (no reporter narration).

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ROUGH CUT (NO REPORTER NARRATION)
STORY: As a grueling U.S. Senate confirmation hearing for Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch finishes on Thursday (March 23), the spotlight turns to whether he will gain the support of vulnerable Democratic senators who are up for re-election in 2018.
Democratic Senate leader Chuck Schumer said Gorsuch should have to get 60 votes to secure his confirmation, but it was unclear whether Democrats would remain unified and attempt to block a final vote, as liberal activists would like.
"My vote will be no, and I urge my colleagues to do the same. To my Republican friends who think that if Judge Gorsuch fails to reach 60 votes, we ought to change the rules, I say if this nominee cannot earn 60 votes, a bar met by each of President Obama's nominees and George Bush's last two nominees, the answer isn't to change the rules. It's to change the nominee," said Schumer.
If at least eight Democrats join the 52 Republicans and back Gorsuch, that will provide the 60 votes needed to pass a procedural motion letting the Senate move quickly to an up-or-down vote on his nomination, with only a simple majority for approval.
If the Democrats deny Gorsuch those eight votes, a more embattled scenario could unfold, with potential to change how the Senate handles Supreme Court nominees.

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